Apparatus for uniting metals



Oct. 7 1924. 1,511,189

| s. BURGETT APPARATUS FOR UNITING METALS Filed Feb. 1923 3 SheBtS-ShBitl LYNN S. BURGETT INVENTOR.

BY W WM H 1 s A TTORNEYS Oct. 7, 19'24. 1,511,189.

L. s BURGETT APPARATUS FOR UNITING METALS Filed Feb. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet2 LYN N S. BU RGETT INVENTOR.

Hi5 .IITTORNFYLIS Oct. 7, 1924. 1,511,189

' 1.. s. BURGETT APPARATUS FOR UNITING METALS Filed Feb. 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 3 'IIIIIIIIII IIIllI/IIZIYYi/Iili Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYNN S. BURGETT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR UNITIN G METALS.

Application filed February a citizen of the United States, residing atCleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Uniting Metals, ofwhich the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to apparatus for use in the uniting of metals bycast welding. It is particularly concerned with a composite selectiveheat retaining and heat conducting mold for use in the uniting of copperbonds to steel railway rails.

It also relates to a mold for molten metal to be united to a metallicarticle and is characterized in part by bein composed of heat retainingand heat can ucting members suitably combined to permit the heating ofthe molten metal in contact therewith to a desired temperature and tomaintain such temperature.

It further relates to a composite mold for east welding molten metals tometallic .articles which is adapted to function as a heat regulatingmember about the molten metal, whereby a minimum tem erature of themolten metal may be attaine and an increase above a maximum temperatureof the molten metal avoided.

It also relates to a composite mold for j oining two articles by castwelding wherein a wear resisting metallic part is employed to secureonearticle in welding position with respect to the other article andwherein a heat retaining part is positioned to be out of contact withthe article so secured by the mold.

It further relates to a composite mold for cast welding copper bonds tosteel rails which is particularly adapted to provide an offset bond headbetween the rail and the bond proper, which enables me to locate thebond relatively well down on the head of the rail with a relativelynarrow connection between the bond and the rail head, and to provide anelongated head afl'ording increased protection to the strands of thebond against destruction from blows delivered to the head by truck orwagon wheels 01 the like and with the bond heads relatively closetogether.

In its broader applications my invention is adapted for use in unitingvarious metals 9, 1928. Serial No. 617,988.

by processes involving the bringing of one metal in molten conditioninto contact with the other metal under conditions which will cause themetals to unite integrally or with an alloyed junction; and in which thejoining or alloying action is preferably carried out under conditions oftemperature which preclude undesirable effects upon the metals beingunited.

More particularly, however, my improved apparatus is especially adaptedto the uniting or joining of copper to ferrous metals, such as steel, inwhich rocess adefinite temperature range is pre' erred for the moltencopper. As a specific illustration of such application I have chosen todescribe in some detail. a commercial device embodying the features ofmy invention and adapted to use in joining copper bonds to steel railwayrails.

In the drawin attached hereto and forming a part of thls s ecification,

ig. 1 is a top p an view of one form of mold embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a: cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevational view partly in section taken on line3-3 of Fig. 1 but showing the mold and a bond in position against arailhead.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my improved mold with the parts thereofseparated to show their individual construction.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the parts ofa modified form of mold.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the mold of Fi 1, 3 and 4.

igs. 7, 8 and 9 are cross sectional views taken onlines 7--7, 8-8 and9-9 respectively of Fig. 6. 1

Referring now to Figs. 1-4 inclusive and 6-9 inclusive, 1 designates ashell member preferably composed of steel and having position below theplane of the bottom 1 of the shell, as is shown at 5*.

Thin, resilient, metal sheets 6, substantially rectangular and havingholes or slots 7 near their rear side to engage "removably with securingmeans, such as rivets '7 used in holding the various mold parts inassembled position are each ofsuch a size as to contact. with flanges 2and 3 along two edges with the other edges lying flush with the frontedge of member 1 and the endedges, of slots 5. It will be observed thatdue to the formation of member 1 about the slots 5, as at 5 a space willbe provided, 8, along one edge of each slot between members 1 and 6 whenthese members are assembled. This space is adapted for reception of aprojecting portion 9 near the end of a bond terminal 9 which is receivedin slots 5, as shown. Such space or recess 8 will permit a limitedmovement of a bond with respect to the mold and facilitate thepositioning of the bond in the mold as well as removing the mold from awelded bond and. bond head without injury to the bond or mold.

Upon the top of members 6 are placed a plurality of members which lie insubstantially the same plane and together constitute the bottom of themold cavity or casting cavity. Preferably two of these members namelymembers 10 composed of a refractory material which is a relatively poorconductor of heat as compared with cop'- per, for example, carbon, whichmembers 10 are in sheet form and of a size to cover approximatelyone-half of the bottom of the mold or'casting cavity. These plates maybe conveniently of and preferably do take the shape as shown in Fig. 4where they extend to the flanges 2 and 3 of member 1 and flush with thefront edge of member 1 and the outer side of slots 5 similar to members6. They may be held in assembled relation with the other mold parts bysuitable securing means (not shown) which pass through members 1 and 6,or otherwise. Member 10", which constitutes the remainder of thebottomof-the mold or casting cavity, is preferably composed of copper in plateform, the thickness of which may vary somewhat but conveniently shouldbe of about the same thickness as members 10 and 6. This member or plate10 which is secured to the other mold parts by any suitable securingmeans such as bolts, rivets or screws 10 has opposite edges insubstantial alignment with the inner or adjacent sides of slots 5 whichare thus adapted to engage or lie closely adjacent to a bond carried inthe slots 5 of the mold. It willthus be seen that the resilient metalsheet 6 is held spaced from the member 1 and against the carbon plate 10and is adapted to distribute limited bending stresses, as occur when themold is removed from the finished bond head, over the area of saidcarbon plate.

The lower side of member 10 is recessed, as at 10, along the edgeadjacent slots 5 to form a continuation of space 8 for projection 9 onbond 9. Preferably suflicient material is thus removed from member 10 sothat ordinarily it does not engage the projection 9 on the bond asclosely as does member 6.

In this modification of mold, copper slides 10 of approximately the samethickness as member 10 are slidably mounted on member 6 on either sideof member 10 and between member 10" and members 10 these slides 10 areof a width approximately the same as slots 5. They extend from adja-*cent the rear edge of slots 5 rearwardly and at the rear end are turneddownwardly to provide a flange 11 which may project down throughopenings 12 in member -1 and against which a spring 13 secured todepending flange 4 on member 'lmay engage to press the slide 10forwardly into engagement with a bond mounted in slots 5.

A refractory member 14 which is a relatively poor conductor of heat, andwhich may and preferably is composed of carbon, is mounted on members10, 10 and 1 0 and within the upturned flanges 2 and 3 of shell 1. Thismember or block may be held in position with the other members by anysecuring means. Along the front edge of member 14 recesses 15 are formedwhich when the mold parts are assembled are in alignment with but extendto one side of slots 5 and may be considered as forming mold or castingcavities since they are adapted to receive molten metal about and incontact with a terminal '9" of bond 9 which is mounted in slots 5 andprojects into the recesses 15 above members 10, 10, and 10, whichtogether constitute the bottom of the cavity. Similar recesses 15 on theopposite side of member 14 permit reversal of the member when therecesses become enlarged in use.

Means for securing my improved mold to the rail are indicated as anentirety by numeral 19 in the drawing, but since my invention does notreside in the means for securing the moldto the rail, such means willnot that th said means as indicated includes metal arms adapted toextend over the head of the rail and spring devices adapted to hold themold in the desired position adjacent to the rail. Upon the completionof the welding of the bond to the rail the mold may be released byrelieving the tension of the spring.

Referring now to the modified form of mold shown in Fig. 5, it will benoted that instead of having a plurality of mold cavities or castingcavities in a single mold,

be further described except to state only one cavity is provided.Furthermore, the metal bottom of the cavity is a single member, withouta sliding member.

In this modification 20 indicates a sheet metal, or shell member similarin many respects to member 1, having upstanding rear and end flanges 22and 23. Slot 25 is formed in the front edge of the member and the metalalong the edges of these slots is pressed downwardly as at 25 below theplane of the bottom 21 of the member. A sheet metal member 26 rests onbottom 21 of member 21 having its front edge flush with the front edgeof member 20, and one side edge flush with a side of slot 25. Due to thedepression of the metal about slot 25, as at 25, a recess or space willbe formed between members 21 and 26 along one side of slots 25 in whicha projecting portion 9 of a rail bond 9 may be received to permitrelative movement of the bond and the mold.

A refractory member 30, which is also a relatively poor heat conductor,as compared with copper, and preferably is composed of carbon, is"mounted on member 26 with one edge substantially flush with the frontedge of members 21 and 26 and an edge flush with one side of slot 25 andthe adjacent edge of member 26. Preferably member 30 is in thin sheetform and of such size as to'extend back toward flange 23 of member 21and be secured in assembled position with members 21 and 26.

A metal member, 31, preferably composed of copper and of approximatelythe same thickness as members 26 and 30 combined is mounted insubstantially the same horizontal plane therewith resting upon member21, one edge lying substantially flush with the front edges'of member21, the member being cut away suitably to lie substantially flush alongan end and side of slot 25.

Member 31 preferably has a rabbeted lower-edge 32 adjacent slot 25toaccommodate the projection 9 on bond 9 but here as in the precedingmodification of mold the recess 1n the copper member for projection 9 issufficiently large so that the member will tend to engage the projectionless closely than does member 26.

Resting upon members 30 and 31 is a refractory plate or block 34 ofconsiderable thickness and of a size to fit within the flanges 22 and 23of member 21. Preferably this block is composed of poor heat conductingmaterial as compared with copper, for example carbon. In the front edgeof this block or plate 34 a recess 35 is formed of greater depth andlength than slots 25 but in substantial alignment therewith. The recess,having a bottom composed of portions of members 30 and 31 and a sidewall formed by block 34 may be considered a mold or casting cavity andmay be used for receiving molten metal to be united to an adjacent rail.A similar recess 35 in the opposite edge of block 34 permits reversal ofthe block when one side becomes worn in use.

The operation of my improved forms of molds hereinabove described willnow be detailed in connection with a process of uniting copper to steelwhich I understand is an invention of John B. Austin of Cleveland, Ohio,and which is disclosed and set forth in application Serial No. 611,240filed January 8, 1923. A mold is positioned in contact with the side ofa rail with a bond held between the rail and mold in the slots providedtherefor and with the end portion of the bond projecting into the moldor casting cavity. Copper is melted into the casting cavity and after asuitable reagent is mixed therewith the temperature is increased by theapplication of additional heat from a source such as an electric arcuntil the reagent reacts as desired and until the molten copper uniteswith the steel with which it contacts in an integral or alloyedjunction. Additional increments of copper are united to the moltencopper in the mold and to the rail and finally a part of the bondterminal is melted and substantially the entire mold or casting cavityis filled with copper and united with the rail and bond.

During the melting of the copper in the mold and the elevation of thetemperature thereof to the desired point, the carbon plates constitutingthe bottom of the mold or casting cavity being poor conductors of heattend to become highly heated, thereby rendering comparatively easy thefurther elevation of the temperature of the molten copper in the moldand thus reduces the time required for making the desired union betweenthe copper and the rail. In this manner it is conceivable that a sourceof heat less intense than that of the electric arc, for example such asa gas flame, may be utilized, since the mold does not lose or dissipateor lose its heat readily. The copper plates comprising a part of thebottom of the mold cavity provide a chill and thereby preclude themeltin of that portion of the bond intended to c ose the mold cavity andalso said copper plates. In other words, these copper plates engage withthe bond and portions of the molten metal and serve to conduct heat awayfrom these parts sufiiciently rapidly to prevent overheating. It is tobe noted, however, that a more or less definite ratio should existbetween the sizes of the copper and carbon members and the surfaces ofeach in contact with the molten metal since by varying the sizes ofthese members it is possible to regulate to some extent the amount ofheat which will be retained by the mold and the approximate temperatureof the rear end of the mold.

to which the mold or metal contained therein can be heated.

I have found molds embodying my invention to be highly advantageouswhere it is desired to unite copper integrally with steel withnon-porous junctions between the metals obtained, without requiring anamount of heat which would melt through the portion of the bond intendedto close the mold.

Although I have described my invention as being carried out with anelectric are, I

do not wish to limit it thereto since it is obviously capable ofbeingutilized with other sources of heat, such for example as gas flames.

It will be noted that with my improved mold it is possible for me tolocate the welded head, between the bond and the rail, well down on thehead of the rail, thus permit ting the rail head to be worn downmaterially before the track wheels will come in contact with the weld.At the same time my mold is so constructed that it facilitates theforming of a relatively long or ofi'set head with respect to the adacent bond terminal, thus providin a welded head structure adaptedmaterlally to protect the strands of the bond against bruises and shocksdue to truck and wagon wheels and the like.

It will further be noted that the bond terminal is out of contact withthe carbon mold members at substantially all points and particularly isthis true of the projection in the bond by means of which the bond isheld or positioned in the mold, all as will appear from the figures.This prevents abrasion and rapid wearing away of the carbon.

It will further be noted that the relatively thin carbon plate whichforms a part of the bottom of the mold or casting cavity in my improvedmold is rendered capable of liinited movement toward and away from theshell or carbon block members without danger of breakage. This is due, Ibelieve, to the fact that this carbon plate and the thin metal sheetmember move together more or less as a unit and the metal sheet tends todistribute any bending over an enlarged area instead of localizing it atany one point or along one line. The carbon bends accordingly and isthus able to withstand binding stresses, which if localized would breakit. This ability of the carbon plate to bend is a considerable advantageespecially when the mold is being loosened from the completed bond headby up and down movement Various modifications and structural changes ofthe structure herein shown will undoubtedly occur to those skilled inthe art without amountingto invention and accordingl I do not wish tohave my invention limited to the particular details set forthhereinabove, except may be necessitated b the scope of my invention asdefined in wliat is claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In a mold for east welding molten metal to a metallic article, incombination, a carbon member having a recess, a composite bottom for thesaid recess comprising a carbon member and a copper member disposed insubstantially the same horizontal plane, and means for holding the saidmembers in assembled relation.

2. In a mold for east welding molten metal to a metallic article, incombination, a carbon member-having a recess, a composite bottom for thesaid recess comprising a carbon member and a cop-per member, a thinmetalplate beneath and engaging the said carbon member, and means forholding the members in assembled relation.

3. In a mold for east welding molten metal to a metallic article, incombination, a "carbon member having a recess, a carbon plate and acopper plate disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane andcooperating with the said carbon member to form a mold cavity for moltenmetal, and means for retaining the said members in cooperating position.0

4. In a mold for cast welding molten metal to a metallic artlcle, incombination, a refractory heat',retaining member havin a recess, acomposite bottom for the said recess comprising a refractory heatretaining member and a metal heat conducting member, each adapted toengage molten metal in the said recess, and means for retaining the saidmembers in assembledposition. a

5. In a mold for uniting a rail bond to a rail, in combination, a shellhaving a slot to receive a rail bond, a heat retaining plate, a'heatconducting plate, and a second heat retaining plate having a recess, thefirst said heat retaining plate and the heat conducting platecooperating to form a bottom for the recess and shaped to receive theterminal of a rail bond positioned in the said slot in the shell.

6. A mold for uniting a rail bond to a rail comprising a metal shellhaving a slot in one edge; a resilient metal sheet, a carbon platecarried thereby in the shell, each having an edge substantially flushwith an edge of the said slot; metal plates in the shell ofsubstantially the same thickness as the said assembled m!etal plate andcarbon sheet, each having an edge substantially flush with an edge ofthe said slot, and one of the plates being movable toward or away fromthe said slot; and a carbon block on the said metal and carbon plateshaving an enlarged recess in one side in alignment with the said slotand laterally extended over the said carbon plate.

7 A mold. for uniting a rail bond to a ill) rail comprising a metalshell having a slot in one edge thereof, a resilient metal sheet, acarbon plate carried thereby, each having an edge substantially flushwith an edge of the said slot, a metal plate in the shell adjacent toand of substantially the same thickness as the said metal sheet andcarbon plate combined, and having edges substantially flush with saidedge of the said slot; and a carbon block on the said carbon and metalplates, having a recess in one side in alignment with the said slot, thesaid recess having a greater cross-sectional area than the said slot.

8. A mold for uniting a rail bond to a mi comprising a metal shell; aslot in one edge of the shell, the portion of the shell adjacent theslot being depressed below the plane of the shell; metal plates intheshell having edges substantially flush with the edges of the saidslot, one of the said plates being relatively thin and resilientas-compared with the other plate; a refractory plate on the said thinmetal plate and having an edge substantially flush] with an edge of thesaid slot; and a second refractory member on the first said refractorymember and the said thick metal plate, said second refractory memberhaving an enlarged recess in one side in alignment with but extendedlaterally from the said slot.

9. A mold for, uniting a rail bond to-a rail comprising a metal shellhaving a slot in one edge thereof adapted to receive a bond, metalmembers in the cooperate with the shell in retaining a 'bond shelladapted to in the said slot, one of the said metal members carrying acarbon plate and being adapted to distribute limited bending stressesover an enlar ed area of the said carbon plate, and a car 11 block inthe shell having an enlarged recess in alignment with the said slot, thesaid carbon plate co operating with certain of the said metal p ates toform a bottom for the said recess.

10. In a mold for cast welding metal toa metallic article incombination, a recessed, refractory block shaped to receive a portion ofa metallic article, a metallic heat conduct ing member and a refractoryheat retaining member disposed to engage in substantially the samehorizontal plane with a metallic article received by the said block, thesaid refractory member cooperating with the 7 said block to retainmolteninetal in the re cessed block in contact with the metallicarticle.

11. In a mold for east welding copper to a copper bond in .combination,a recessed, refractory block shaped to receive a portion of the copperof a bend, a metallic heat conducting member and a refractory heatretaining member disposed to engage in substantially the same horizontalplane with the copper of a bond received by the said block, the saidrefractory member cooperating with the said block to retain moltencopper in the recessed block in contact with the copper of the bond.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix m si ature.

y gn LYNN S. BURGETT.

